03 Ford Focus gets better dependability ratings than 03 Toyota Corolla...suprising?

Question

Just did a side by side comparison of the Focus and Corolla and the results were suprising to me. The Focus got 4.5 stars for overall long-term dependability. The Corolla got 4 stars. Both good ratings, but how does this support the notion that Toyota has superior reliability over Ford? Perhaps the difference in quality is not as much as we think?

This was a JD Power rating

This was a JD Power rating

Answer 1

go and look up a '01 Focus and a '01 Corolla side by side, work your way up trough the years, I'm willing to bet the Corolla would have the more stable high rating, this is the difference in quality, year in and year out superior reliable quality.

Answer 2

You are taking ONE car and ONE rating and igoring all the other ratings to try to make your point. It is true, many of the auto magazines, including Consumer Reports, show that the Ford Focus gets excellent reliability ratings that are comparable to the Toyota Corolla, and sometimes better. That is the exception, however, and not the norm. Ford F-150 is another example that supports your point of view, actually, but that is about where it stops. Ford's sedans, larger trucks, SUVs, and sports cars all get lower ratings than the equivalents to Toyota's or Honda's. AND the differences between these is much more signficant than the difference between the Focus and Corolla, which generally get similar ratings in most periodicals. Many of Ford's SUVs, for example, get very poor reliability ratings compared to other SUVs.

The fact is that it is stupid to be overly loyal to any car company. The smart thing is to consider what kind of vehicle you need, and make your decision based on what is best in that class. Ford is good at what it is good at, but that doesn't make it the best at everything. That said, the same goes for Toyota. If you are concerned that you are hurting American businesses, consider this: most Fords get their parts outside of America. Meanwhile, my Honda Civic was built in New Jersey. Ultimately you are supporting foreign markets regardless of what you buy.

Answer 3

It's not surprising at all, given that the rating comes from JD Power, which is far from unbiased. Checking Consumer Reports ratings (which are based upon actual owner experiences), the Focus comes out in the 'average' rating area, while the Corolla receives one of the highest reliability ratings in the range.

My vote goes to CR over JD Power

Answer 4

The insurance institute of america also rated the the new 2008 Taurus and Sable and they also got the top rating for safety in front and side crashes.

I hope people start taking a second look at the quality of the new domestic cars and stop buying the foreign cars.

The rate we are going, in a couple of decades the only auto producers will be Toyota, and Honda, and Kia. They will be the new big three.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Toyota is the better car, but with average-high miles on both, they both may need parts soon, so I too say buy the Focus. Parts are much cheaper. I own a Ford and a Toyota, so just speaking from experience.